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Hyper-spectral imaging applied to vein detection – Akmol Hussain

Date published: 16/08/18

Akmol Hussain hyper-spectral imaging blog cover image

Hyper-spectral imaging applied to vein detection

  • Name:Md Akmol Hussain
  • Current Organisation:Leeds Beckett University

In May, Translate opened its summer student project scheme to support small medical technology development projects in the Leeds City Region. The scheme proved to be a massive success and 26 unique projects were funded. Learn more about their work in this blog.


My name is Md Akmol Hussain and I am finishing a PhD on image colour constancy adjustment under Dr Akbar Sheikh Akbari’s supervision at School of Computing, Creative Technology and Engineering in Leeds Beckett University. My research interests includes computer vision and image processing.

I have started exploring hyper-spectral imaging technologies and their application for vein detection after having a discussion with my supervisor last year, when he showed me some hyper-spectral images that he captured on his secondments at Strathclyde University.

Having previous knowledge of image classification techniques, I was intrigued at the potential of hyper-spectral imaging for veins, as the veins are more apparent in some hyperspectral sub-bands. To my knowledge, no research is currently being conducted into the use of hyper-spectral imaging for vein detection, making it an exciting research project which has potential to help both nurses and patients.

The aim of this summer student project is to assess the performance of various image classification algorithms for detecting and locating veins within hyper-spectral images, in order to help nurses with injection. This summer student funding helps me explore existing vein detection technologies and investigate the application of hyper-spectral imaging in conjunction with image classification methods for vein detection.

This investigation may lead to further research in developing a new non-intrusive medical device to help nurses. On success of this summer student project, we are hoping to secure knowledge and expertise that we need to seek additional research funding to continue this research, with the aim of developing a product that can directly help patients and improve NHS visit satisfaction.